For Black women, anger rarely receives the same nuance as sorrow, affection, vulnerability, or even happiness. Yet in Is God Is, writer-director Aleshea Harris presents something far more audacious: a vengeance-driven fever dream that places Black women at the heart of their own justice, not as victims but as the designers of retribution.
That electric energy was on full display at the Brooklyn premiere of the much-anticipated film, staged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where the ensemble and creators gathered to toast a project many believe will leave an indelible imprint on Black cinema. Adapted from Harris’ acclaimed stage production, Is God Is follows twin sisters on a surreal odyssey of vengeance after they are forced to confront the father who shattered their family. The film stars Mallori Johnson, Kara Young, Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown and Janelle Monáe, with Tessa Thompson serving as a producer.
“I read the script and my mind was blown away,” Monáe told MadameNoire Managing Editor Danica Daniel on the red carpet. “When I say a phenomenal script—I’m moved to tears, I’m laughing. And the film—she took it to a whole other level.”
Alexander echoed that fervor, referring to Harris as “a formidable force” whose artistry is poised to reshape the medium. “It’s going to alter cinema,” she stated, before portraying her character, Divine, as a woman caught between the healing she seeks and the heartbreak she bears. “Many women, when wounded, don’t move forward. They become stuck.”
For Thompson, the urgency of bringing Is God Is to audiences was simple. “Because it’s an extraordinary, wildly entertaining, singularly unique piece,” she remarked.
But perhaps the film’s most far-reaching impact lies in what it affords Black women. “This film does an amazing job of giving Black women a chance to experience release and catharsis,” Johnson explained. Young agreed, adding, “We’ve never seen ourselves represented like this on screen. This isn’t a part of the cinema canon as we know it.”
And if anyone needed a reminder of the ride audiences have in store, Fox summed it up with a sly smile: “Girl power. Absolutely. But revenge—a dish best served cold.”
Above all, the ensemble and creators behind Is God Is share with MadameNoire why this haunting meditation on sisterhood, resilience, and vengeance stands apart from anything you’ve seen before.
Is God Is is currently playing in theaters. Alliance Entertainment, in association with MGM, has announced that a Blu-ray release of Is God Is will arrive on July 28.
